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WIM sets class schedules, new pricing options for 2009

Roxbury — Writers in the Mountains (WIM) is beginning 2009 with an array of new workshops and an experimental new pricing structure that should appeal to experienced and aspiring writers in many genres.
WIM, a not-for-profit organization based in Roxbury, offers a variety of writing workshops, lectures by professional writers, readings and other writing-related events. Program Coordinator Barbara Apoian says “It’s our goal to keep our offerings fresh and to continually reach out to new writers, both those with experience and those who have never been in a writing workshop before.”
This year, along with some old favorites, WIM is introducing a two-day weekend poetry workshop in February, conducted by Woodstock poet Bethany Saltman. “We want to reach out to the weekenders in the community,” says Apoian. Inspired by an assignment given by Allen Ginsberg to his MFA students, this six-hour workshop will explore the relationship between memory, imagination, and image in poetry. The workshop will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on February 7 and 8 at the Fairview Library in Margaretville and will cost $45.
Another attraction for weekenders will be the Ten-Minute Playwriting workshop, a five-session class that includes a public reading and, in the fall, a fully staged production of the works created in the class at The Open Eye Theater in Margaretville. Instructor Frank Canavan says of this workshop, “It’s intensive, but exhilarating. People who have never written a play before have a complete stage-worthy piece at the end of three sessions.” The fee is $45.
In a continuing effort to make the workshops more affordable for everyone, WIM is offering a price break to participants who enroll in two of the offerings. Ev Ellsworth’s winter journaling class (Jan. 13 –Feb. 17, 6 sessions) and Ann Epner’s Food for Thought, a lighthearted approach to writing about food (Feb. 24- Mar. 31, six sessions) are being offered at a combined fee of $95. Usual fees for WIM workshops range from $60 - $75. Both these classes are being offered on weekday mornings to appeal to those who don’t like driving at night on wintry roads.
Plans for the future include a collaborative project with the John Burroughs Society utilizing Woodchuck Lodge as an inspirational retreat, a reading at the Erpf Gallery by writers who spent time at Platte Clove through a grant from the Catskill Center for Preservation and Develop-ment, and participation with The Catskills Artisans Guild in a series of readings at The Commons in Margaretville.
WIM President Ann Epner says, “ We are always looking for ways to collaborate with as many of the cultural groups in the community as we can.” Classes are held in a number of venues from Delhi to Arkville, again making the workshops accessible to as many people as possible.
For full information about WIM’s programs, see the website: writersinthemountains.org or call 607 326-7908.